011 SMITH JOURNALsmith stuff
FLASH IN THE PAN
You have, perhaps, become accustomed to thinking of the
saucepan as a purely utilitarian kitchen implement, the aesthetic
merits of which mean little so long as it conveys heat from your
stovetop to your instant noodles. If this is indeed the case, New
York’s Museum of Modern Art is here to correct your slovenly
thinking. For a mere $89 U.S.D., MoMA’s design store will
make you the owner of the handsome Nordico saucepan –
which, despite what the name implies, is Italian in provenance.
The pan’s wooden handle is square – which is good, for some
reason – and the photographs on the website confi rm that
it does a stout job of holding water. “Lid included,” MoMA
promises, by way of added enticement. store.moma.org AM
SILLY JEAN
Levi Strauss invented the denim jacket in the 1880s as work apparel
for cowboys and miners. People were having so much fun with the
pants variety that they assumed double denim would be double the
fun. Human fashion would not recover for another 70 years. Which
brings us to the latest model: the Indigo Coverall from Japanese
label Leno & Co. It sports a boxy, understated cut, front pockets (very
useful for both mines and ranches) and three brass buttons. Like
much Japanese design, it resembles a haiku that has somehow taken
physical form. They’re just jeans with sleeves / Where have all the
cowboys gone? / Bon Jovi nailed it. hef ernanandhaire.com JS
CURIOUS LIFE: KHALED AL-ASAAD
Many children harbour fantasies of becoming archaeologists. Few
follow through on their dreams; fewer still put their lives on the
line for them. Khaled al-Asaad was one of these few. Born in 1934,
in Palmyra, Syria (then part of the French Mandate for Syria and
Lebanon), Asaad was always enamoured with the ruins of his
hometown. He studied history at the University of Damascus, but
returned home when he realised he’d left behind one of the most
important historic sites in the Middle East. Palmyra was an ancient
Semitic city that, thanks to its position on the Silk Road, fl ourished
in the Greek and Roman eras. Asaad soon became the site’s protector
and excavator-in-chief, contributing immensely to the preservation
and study of its many treasures. For decades, the bespectacled
caretaker toiled alongside international experts to bring Palmyra’s
joys to the world. But in 2015 his life’s work faced an existential
threat, when ISIS gained control of the area. Staunchly iconoclastic
and looking to trade in stolen antiquities, ISIS looted, destroyed
and seized as they went. Asaad could have fl ed, but chose to stay
with his beloved ruins. When he refused to disclose where artefacts
had been moved for safekeeping, he was killed, and his remains
were hung in the town centre. Asaad may be gone, but his legacy
endures: his work to secure Palmyra’s UNESCO World Heritage
Site status, and an extensive scholarly corpus, ensure his continued
impact. As does Palmyra: History, Monuments and Museum, his
defi nitive guidebook to that cherished place he died to protect. KPTHE WRITE STUFF
If you’re a fan of graphite on paper, you should buy this pencil.
Demand for the cult, discontinued Palomino Blackwing was so acute
(and eBay prices so high) that it was resurrected from a decade-long
lapse in production in 2008. So many talking points, too. For starters,
it’s fi ve-sided when pencils are normally six. Why? To honour the
inventor of the KenKen puzzle, maths teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto, who
gives pentagonal-shaped pencils to every student who passes his class.
To fi nd out why he does that, head to compendiumstore.com.au KD